


The Challenges of Young Love

by MiraculousDancer08



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-04-07 00:38:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraculousDancer08/pseuds/MiraculousDancer08
Summary: The gang is 17. Mari and Adrien are friends now that she can talk to him. The world is pretty okay, except Marinette is going to ask Luka out right as Adrien realizes he likes her. Lila is still a horrible person and has stolen most of the friends. But Chloe is getting better. And Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee became a permanent addition to the team a few years back.Also, Im not really good at summaries...





	1. Realizations

** Adrien **

 

Ugh! He hated her so much. Her constant pursues, her lies, how she treated his friends! But he didn't know what to do. He had to keep up his father's ‘Agreste’ image and he had to be a gentleman, after all, that was how he was raised. But for the love of all things good and right, he hated Lila Rossi and had to do something about her. She made him so uncomfortable!

 

And as if Lila wasn't hard enough, he had tests and projects to do for the end of the year and he had to be a superhero!

 

Unfortunately for Adrien, he had recently faced the inevitable. No matter how much he wanted it, or even how much his Lady wanted it (he knew she would come around sometime), they could never happen. After working together for so long, he had finally understood. Not that he liked it, but being in a relationship with Ladybug would definitely not work. They would be each other's weaknesses. They would be distracted, and Hawkmoth could use their relationship against them. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt. And he would never be able to look at her, let alone save Paris with her if they would (although highly unlikely) break up. So no more Ladybug. This realization left Adrien feeling alone and unloved again. Even though he still had lots of friends and Ladybug and him were still together all the time.

 

But there was something else that came up. Something that confused him… no, it downright baffled him. Today, when Lila got a little too close for comfort and he decided to say NO and that this did not feel right, she had asked him out. He again politely refused and used his father card as his excuse. But then Lila told him that she knew that if ‘she’ had come that close to him or had asked him out, he would have accepted right away. Lila told Adrien that he saw the way he looked at ‘her’ and that Adrien better start looking at Lila herself that way. Or else. Then she stomped off leaving Adrien to wonder who he possibly looked at “like that”. Did Lila know his secret? NO! She couldn't! If she did, he was sure she would have exposed him already or have given him some hint about knowing. That was just who she was! Right?  

 

What scared him was the “or else” meaning that she could know…

 

He turned to Alya and Nino for help, although he wasn't really sure about them anymore. They were both Lila supporters and had grown further away from him. But he could keep it vague.

 

“Hey!” Adrien called

 

“Do you… I mean, do I… well… uh…” They were both really confused as Adrien stuttered and couldn't seem to find the right words to say. How come the leather suit and mask made flirting and talking about and to girls so much easier!?

 

“You ok dude? Something wrong?” Nino questioned.

 

“Well, I got told this morning that I… well that I seem to look at a girl in a certain way… differently than others, and I, w-well I guess I was wondering if you had noticed it too?”

 

Alya and Nino exchanged glances and snickered.

 

“Of course we have noticed, Adrien! You are two are the most oblivious souls out there!” Alya burst.

 

“REALLY!?” He replied “WHO!?”

 

Again, they passed a glance between each other as if communicating telepathically

 

“We don't want to tell you. You need to figure it out yourself. Then you come talk to us.” Alya responded and turned back to Nino and they started to eat their lunch. Signaling that this conversation was over.

 

Again, Adrien was left confused and unsatisfied. So he went to the locker rooms and decided he and Plagg needed to have a little chat and go over his options.

 

Who were all of the girls he talked too? There was Juleka, Rose, Alex, and Mylene but he rarely ever talked to them and Mylene already had Ivan. There was Sabrina who he only talked to with regards to Chloe so there was no way he was giving her any different looks. There was Chloe who is his oldest friend and he knew that she liked him, but he also knew that he makes it very clear that he is not interested and also, he does not really talk to her much anymore. There is Lila and he guesses that Alya and Nino may be talking about her because she made herself so ‘at home’ around him but he also knew that Lila wasn't talking about herself. There was Alya but it clearly wasn't her. Then there was Kagami. She was one of his closest friends and greatest rivals. He had so much fun fencing with her. But he wasn't really interested in her in that way. At least he didn't think he was. When he is with her, he never feels like he does around his Lady. Even after the date he took her on. He remembered the double date he asked Marinette to go on with him. She was such an amazing person to support him like that. She is so special and he is so lucky to have her in his li…

 

Adrien stopped mid-thought. NO! It couldn't be… there was no way. He definitely did not like his best friend. She was always there for him and was the sweetest kindest person ever, yes. And she did always make him feel special. But did he ever look at her in ‘that way’? Had he ever thought of her in ‘that way’?

 

Thinking back on it, he really did care about what she thought about him. He was sometimes nervous around her and, OH GOD! he got butterflies in his stomach every time she touched him or giggled. He was proud every time she stood up for herself or others, and he loved talking to her. But she was just a friend. A very good friend.

 

Of course, he voiced this to Plagg and all he said was “do I look like I care, kid? I have much more important things to be worrying about than your girl problems. Like this delicious camembert and my grumbling stomach!” With that, he disappeared into Adrien’s bag once more.

 

The more he tried to convince himself that he did not have a crush on Marinette, the more reasons his brain seemed to find to convince him that he did like her. It just felt so wrong, confusing, and dirty almost, to like two girls at once. He almost felt like he was betraying Ladybug. But he had gone over this a million times. That could not happen. So why feel bad about liking Marinette? What was hard was the fact that it appeared as if he had, unknowingly to him, liked her for a _long_ time. And that also liking Ladybug was what was keeping him away from the lovely, perfect girl in front of him.

 

Wait, in front of him… haha! Uh oh… she was standing right in front of him. She had a concerned look on her face that made her look really cute.

 

NO! He told himself. This is not supposed to happen! She is your friend! You can't ruin that… right…? Thinking about that made him forget that she was there and he gave another jump when she spoke.

 

“Adrien, are you ok?”

 

“Oh… Y-yeah… I-I just was s-sinking. I-I mean thinking!” he corrected. What was going on!? He was acting like, well like her when he was with her. Always jumbling up her words and stuttering.

 

“What do you need?” he asked, clearing his throat

 

“O-oh, me? Nothing… I-I just saw you over here and… w-well you looked r-really upset, so I thought I would come check on you?” She said, almost as if it were a question, looking at her shoes.

 

She came to check on me. She thought I was upset so she came to make sure I was ok! Oh my gosh, she is the most amazing person ever! I can't believe that she cares about me so much! I want to hug her right now! W-wait what! That's new… since when has he ever wanted that? I mean sure, a hug now and then was always nice, but not only did he want to hug her, but he wanted to hold her hand and casually have his arm over her shoulder or around her waist. He wanted her to kiss him on the cheek before they went to class and to be with her all of the time. He… he…

 

A sweet “Adrien?” pulled him out of his trance… he had to stop this!

 

“Are you sure you are ok?” she pushed, her beautiful blue eyes looking directly into his.

 

This time he responded with a small not and looked away, hoping to hide the blush he could feel creeping up on his face.

 

“W-well ok. Just let me know if you need anything. O-ok?” she seemed unsure and yet totally positive at the same time that she wanted to say this to him. Then she turned on her heels and quietly walked away. Only stopping in the doorway. He hoped she would turn around and look at him again, it seemed like she almost did, but then she left. God, why was she so cute? And why had he never noticed how cute she was before?  

 

~:~

 

He caught up to Alya and Nino after school that day. Determined to figure out what to do. Almost out of breath, he heavily sighed “I like Marinette… I dont know how long I have, but I do. And I have no clue what to do because she is my best friend and I don’t want that to change but I can’t seem to stop thinking about her now. And she is the kindest, sweetest, most amazing person and I can not believe that I didn’t realize I liked her sooner! I mean what do I do? Do I ask her out? Or do I not, and wait to get over my crush? And what about Lila? She would probably make both of our lives a living hell if I start to date her! I definitely do not want that. What if she doesn’t like me back? If I get rejected, I would feel horrible. And my father… _my father_ well he… he would-”

 

Adrien cut himself off, realizing he was rambling and that they were smirking, going back and forth from looking at him to each other, and back to him.

 

“What!? Can’t you guys see that I’m confused and I need help? Why is this so funny to you!?” he angrily responded as they tried to hide their snickers from him.

 

“Finally! What took you so long, dude!? You two are so oblivious! Just ask her out already!”

 

Adrien was shocked. “Wha! I can’t do that! Did you not just hear my whole rant?”

 

“Adrien, calm down! Between us, Marinette has been crushing on you since day one! That's why she can never speak! So pick up your guts and ask her out already. She is so devastated because you seem to keep pushing her away with all of your ‘good friend’ talk but I knew that was just to convince yourself that you didn’t have a crush on her! I told you, Nino!” Alya exclaimed excitedly to her boyfriend as Adrien’s mouth hung open a little too wide and he felt Plagg laughing from his shirt pocket.

 

“O-ok… so what do I do?” he inquired.

 

“Dude, just be yourself!” Nino said as if quoting what he had said to help Adrien become friends with Marinette.

 

So he made a plan. Tomorrow he was going to invite her to walk with him after school and guide her to Andre’s ice cream. He was going to tell her how much he liked her and then he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. With any luck (which he knew he had none of) she would say yes and then he would walk her home hand in hand and maybe even get a free treat or two from her wonderful parents! If all went well it would be miraculous!

 

~:~

 

The next day came and he had to stop himself several times from looking over his shoulder dreamily at his princess. Oh right… he couldn’t use that nickname in front of her because it was Chat’s nickname for her. She is so smart, she would figure it out. Don’t look back, don’t look back! He told himself as he blushed at how smart she was.

 

The end of the day neared and he got _really_ nervous. He had only been out on one date and that one didn’t turn out that well. Come to think of it, he had ditched Kagami for Marinette even then! Wow, he really _was_ oblivious, wasn’t he! He had to admit, it was nice to be thinking about someone other than Ladybug for a change though.

 

Then it came. The bell rang and he rushed outside, hoping to get there before she did. But to his surprise, she was already there and looking for someone. He walked up to her and said hi.

 

“Hey! I… uh was actually looking for you.” She told him and his heart skipped a beat. He wished it would stop doing that and at the same time wanted it to do it all the time for her.

 

“O-Oh! So was I! I mean! I was looking for you! Not for me, obviously because, well I am right here! But for you, because you are not here! Well, you are now because I found you!” He blurted out. God, why was he so socially awkward!?

 

“Oh, o-ok…” She quietly said.

 

There was an awkward silence between them and Adrien wished with all his heart he knew how to fill it. Then, at the same time, they blurted out “I need to ask you something!”

 

Marinette beat him to it “Oh! I’m sorry! You go first!”

 

“No! No! Really, it's ok! You can go first. Please.” He smiled kindly at her and she took a deep breath.

 

“Well, I need your help. I-I want to ask someone out... but I am not really sure how to do it. And...and I was hoping that since I helped you with Kagami, you... uh... could help me?” It was at that moment that his heart broke.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fanfic and I am still trying to figure everything out so...  
> I dont really have a plan, I just have some milestones and things I want to happen and everything else will just be... I have no clue how often I will post chapters but I had a lot of fun writing this one so I hope they will come out somewhat quickly. ;)


	2. Uncomfortable

**Marinette**

 

She wished she knew what to do. Her life was a mess. She was a decent student, sure, but she was _always_ late and _always_ left early (due to being Ladybug). She was always super stressed. She, unfortunately, wasn't that close to any of her friends anymore because they would all rather be with Lila than her. God she hated Lila. And she thought she could just hang around Adrien like that when it obviously made him so… uncomfortable? But he was too nice to tell her no. Just like with Chloe. She knew that he was never going to happen and she has been trying her hardest to stop gushing over him. I mean, really. It's not like he stood up to Lila, he just never agrees with her lies like the others. So what were Marinette and Chloe, the two people who did stand up to Lila, doing liking him!? She wished she could stop her stammering and rambling. She had been getting better. Especially since she had realized that she had fallen for her Kitty.

 

But that too was unsuccessful. Because one, she had pushed him away too many times to go back and ask him. And two, she knew how dangerous it would be for them to be in a relationship. It was so hard! She knew how muck Chat liked Ladybug and it broke her heart to finally like him back only to not be able to date. But deep down she knew that he knew it couldn't happen. She also didn't want him to find out who she was under the mask. Especially in this messy state.

 

So yet again, she had to push her feelings away and look to a third. He was sweet and she knew he liked her. So she wouldn't have to worry about rejection. He always talked to her and always wanted to help her. She had already gone on a date with him once. (although she wasn't really sure it was a date for them... it certainly was for Adrien and Kagami and Luka seemed okay with letting it be a date like hangout.)

  
Although Marinette did find Luka attractive, she did not really feel attracted, per se, to him. But that is what dates were for, right? To get to know someone better and fall for them.

 

She did, however, feel incredibly guilty that she was using Luka as somewhat of a rebound guy to get over _both_ Adrien and Chat Noir. So she still wasn't sure if she should really do this. But she knew how willing Luka was to help and she really needed a break. Tikki thought it would help. So maybe dating him would be a good break.

 

The first part of her plan was simple. She needed to get Adrien out of her head. That proved to be very difficult to do when she saw him upset in the locker room the other day. She had to go check on him only to be pushed away.

 

She figured that if she asked him for help with asking Luka out, she would be able to get it in her head that Adrien was a friend. A friend always willing to help you out and a friend who is going to support you in finding someone to be with. After all, he was always calling her his ‘good friend’ so that is what their relationship would be. As for her Chaton, Ladybug will get to brag to Chat about having a boyfriend so that will hopefully help her get over her long term partner.

 

She was not expecting in any way, shape, or form for Adrien to rush out of the building that afternoon looking for her. Then to tell her that he needed to ask her something. She had started to get her hopes up until she was told to go first. NO! She could not do that. He was probably just going to ask about homework or a project. She needed to do this.

 

So she did.

 

“Well, I need your help. I-I want to ask someone out... but I am not really sure how to do it. And...and I was hoping that since I helped you with Kagami, you... uh... could help me?” She explained.

 

She thought she saw what looked like a flash of disappointment quickly flash across his face but she waved the thought away. Why would he be disappointed anyway?

 

Since he didn't seem to know how to answer (a simple yes would have been fine!) she kept talking “I… er… you-” she was cut off.

 

“Sure! I can help. Yup. We can go to the ice rink again. Us four, and then maybe we can see a movie or go to the park or-”

 

It was Marinette's turn to cut him off “Oh- That sounds fun but, I was thinking it would be just Luka and I. I’m just not sure what to do with him. But a movie sounds nice… Thanks, Adrien” she awkwardly added, seeing the hurt on his face and instantly regretting what she had done. But she started to walk away, not wanting to make it worse than she already had.

 

He caught up with her quickly “Where are you off too?” he asked, probably trying to make the situation lighter and end on a better note.

 

“Kitty Section band rehearsal.”

 

“Can I come? I am part of the band, after all.” He replied slyly. She had a slight nagging sense in the back of her head like this interaction was familiar somehow but she was on a mission and could not think about it now.

 

“O...oh,  don't you have fencing today?” she was a little surprised at his willingness to skip fencing since Kagami was there. She knew how he felt about Kagami even though they had not started officially dating. She saw her kiss Adrien on the cheek and she thought she caught herself slightly blushing thinking about how she wished she could do that to him. She also knew that if Adrien was at practice, there was _no_ _way_ she could pull up the courage to ask Luka out.

 

“It's fine! I haven't been to practice in a while and could use a rundown anyway. Maybe we could get some ice cream after too?” He sounded kind of hopeful… or maybe she just wanted him to sound hopeful. Ugh! This was so hard and confusing!

 

“Alright, I’ll ask Luka if he wants to too! Thanks, Adrien. You're a really great friend!” She tried. Only to get a blank expression from him.

 

She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Didn't he usually smile at her when she said something like that? She wasn't sure anymore. She was really stumped. He seemed to be acting weird lately.

 

“Hey, are you okay? You seem… unsettled lately. Is there anything I can do for you?” She was genuinely worried about him.

 

“Yeah. I’m ok. Just a little… uh… hurt, I guess is the word”

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I- was it me!?” she responded, fearing she had done something wrong.

 

“NO! no... I...i-it's just… well its Lila, really.”

 

“Go on” She prodded him.

 

“She just… I think that her lies are really getting to me. She is just really wearing me down and I can't seem to say no. And I realize that I need to do something about it like you and Chloe do. And I realize that she has been making me really… uncomfortable, but I don't want to make it worse by poking the bear. You know?”

 

Wow. Just wow… She didn't know what to say. She was in so much trouble. Here she was, trying to get over this guy by asking another guy out. Only to get thwarted and now not be able to think about anyone else but him. Oh god. Why did he have to be so… so…

 

“Adrien, all you have to say is ‘Lila this is making me really uncomfortable’ or ‘l don't think I am okay with this Lila’ any girl that likes and respects you will stop. If she doesn't, then you need to tell someone.” Then she paused, noting the look of amazement on his face and continued “Is that what you came to ask me about?”

 

“O-oh!” He looked embarrassed “No… yes… YES” He said, firmly and finally.

 

She wasn't really sure what that meant but she took the hint and whatever he had wanted to talk to her about before, he clearly did not want to talk about now. It made her kind of sad but she knew that there was very little she could do about it.

 

They walked the rest of the way in silence and she got the feeling that he has as little idea of what to say to her as she had of what to say to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter than the first but I think it needed to stop there so we can see what's goin on inside Adrian's head. Also, I couldn't stop after writing the first chapter so this one came out really quickly. But it will probably be a while for the next one to come.


	3. He Had It Coming

He was devastated. Utterly devastated as Chloé would have added… she liked Luca. He had just realized he had a supermassive crush on her to find that she had moved on from him. And not only that, but that she was asking _him_ for advice on what to do with him! He guessed he had it coming for him when he asked her for help with Kagami. But he didn't really _want_ to ask her out, he just needed to ask someone out to get his mind off of Ladybug who kept rejecting him. Still… now that he thought about it, he should have asked Marinette out! Ugh! He was the worst person ever with the most rotten luck! _stupid Chat Noir and Plagg!_

He suggested a double date only to get shut down by her! What the heck! Did she not realize how hard this was for him! Of course, she didn't. She didn't know he liked her.

He didn't want to leave her for the day. So he opted to skip fencing that day. He knew that would bite him in the butt later but he really _did not_ want Marinette to ask Luca out. And he somehow knew that if he went to the band rehearsal, she wouldn't ask him.

Maybe he could still buy her to ice cream after, he thought.

“Maybe we could get some ice cream after” he suggested.

“Alright, I’ll ask Luka if he wants to too! Thanks, Adrien. You're a really great friend!” Shut down again. He had some real difficulty keeping the cringe at bay when she threw him the _good friend_ comment. He really had that one coming after him.

“Hey, are you okay? You seem… unsettled lately. Is there anything I can do for you?” she pulled him out of his thoughts for the, what, 4th time today? She sounded so worried! And of course, I’m unsettled! What do I even say to that!? He wondered.

“Yeah. I’m ok. Just a little… uh…” What was he? Jealous? Mad? Sad? He didn't even know! “...hurt, I guess is the word” Yeah. Real hurt.

But not by her! Well yes by her, but she can't know that. He couldn't do that to her.

So who else was he hurt by? Or could he sound convincingly hurt by?

_Lila_

As he went into his explanation which was all very truthful, just not the full truth, he could see the gears in her head turning. Trying to figure out how to help him with his problem. He felt the blush come back. God this girl was going to be the death of him.

Then she went into this deep, helpful, advice that showed that she cared so much for her friends and he couldn't hold the look of amazement back any further. She seemed to always have the right idea at the right time* and he loved it. Until he had to shake his head to clear it at her question.

“Is that what you came to ask me about?”

 _NO!!_ “NO…” wait, he couldn't talk to her about that! “yes...” That did not sound very convincing… crap… “YES” he nearly shouted and it startled both him and her.

Ugh! He was so bad at this.

He had no idea what to say to her after he had yelled at her. He wanted to say sorry but it felt like it would have been awkward after the bit of silence that had already passed between them. Luckily, she seemed to accept that he wanted some silence and they walked quietly the rest of the way.

Every once and awhile, she would unintentionally graze her shoulder against his and it killed at him. He wanted so badly to reach down and take her hand. What were thee hormones? One day she was his closest friend and the next, he couldn't think about her as anything but a love interest! He really did not want to lose her! He had to stop this behavior.

He was so deep in thought as they walked that he tripped on the boat dalk and fell into her.

No biggy, she fell into him all the time, he was allowed to fall on her once too. But it was so awkward. The tension between them was like a tightrope and he was definitely about to fall off. (Although, admittedly, he had probably already tumbled to his doom by now. Especially with the putrid luck he had stinking up his shirt pocket.)

He was glad that he knew all of the songs because he was so distracted by her.

She was sitting on a crate with her tongue sticking out of her mouth a little ways, in deep concentration. Hunched over her sketchbook probably doing something _amazing_ that he knew she wouldn't even give to herself. She would most likely give it to someone else and play it off like no big deal even though he knew she had spent hours working on it. She was just that kind of person. So selfless, kind, and happy to do anything for others as long as it made them happy too.

He saw Luka looking at her sometimes. That's right. He was watching Luka like a hawk. When his eyes weren't on pigtails, they were on bluehair. He despised how he looked at her. He guessed that was how he looked at her sometimes though. Maybe Luka thought the same thing about him. Should he talk to Luka? Nah, he has his enemy now! He needed someone else to talk to. Someone that would help him, someone he was close too. Someone whose feelings wouldn't get in the way of giving him advice. He knew who that person was.

Chloé

Although Chloé did have a crush on him, he knew that she would do anything for one of her only friends. She was really kind and smart when she wanted to be. She may be jealous of Marinette but if Adrien was happy, she would be too. He also knew that Chlo always wanted him to date, even before she had a crush on him so she would push him.

Yeah. Chloé was for sure his goto girl and he needed to have a serious conversation with her. He was in deep trouble and he needed some help.

But first, he had to focus on the task at hand: making sure Marinette was not alone with Luca so she couldn't ask him out. He needed to buy himself more time to talk with Chlo and figure things out.

 

~:~

 

After band practice, they went to ice cream. Lucky for Adrien, Marinette had not just Luka, but Rose, Juleka, and Ivan (but Ivan had other things to do so he couldn't come.)

His ice cream was the same as ever, Red and black spotted on the bottom, black in the middle, blue on the top. For Ladybug. Or for Mari, he now realized! Her normal outfit was pink and black and she had ink black hair with striking blue eyes.

Rose and Julika's ice creams looked like each other. Lucky! they have already found each other, he thought, angrily, to himself.

He also noticed Marinette's ice cream was pink and green… Luka did not have green eyes, or for a matter of fact, any green on him! But both Chat Noir and Adrien had green on them!

He was getting his hopes up way too high and he needed to calm down. He didn't know what the pink on hers was for.

What he did know was that Mari and Luka were sitting just a little too close to each other and he needed to separate them.

“Hey, Luka! Can I talk to you for a second?” He requested without thinking. Marinette gave him a panicked look and he winked at her reassuringly.

They walked along the bridge where Andre had set up his cart that day.

“So, what do you think about Marinette?” he (probably not so) casually asked.

“Oh! She is an amazing girl. As clear as a musical note and sincere as a melody.* I really like her... Please don't tell her. I have tried to ask her out before but she is definitely into someone else.” he said as he sadly looked at Adrien. What was that about? That she did not like him back, or that he thought she still liked Adrien? He wasn't sure but he felt for Luka rather than being jealous of him.

“O-oh. I'm so sorry…” Was all he could manage to squeak out.

“It’s ok. I can tell you like her too. She would totally accept if you asked her out.”

“I wouldn't be so sure” He responded sadly to Luka. “She recently asked me for advice on asking someone else out…”

“Rough” Luka patted him on the back.

“Yeah” They looked at each other for a moment and, both looking defeated, started walking back to the group of girls giggling about something.

When they were done, they all said their goodbyes and started walking home. Adrien caught up to Marinette and asked if he could walk her home. She looked at him quizzically and told him “that would be nice, thanks” with a smile on her beautiful lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Yes I did use Oblivio and Silencer quotes :P  
> Neither the title nor chapter is related to Cell Block Tango from Chicago... I just thought it went with what was going on and really liked it so I did not change it when I saw how the title was related to the dark song.
> 
> This was really fun to write. I think that Adrien has a lot less of a filter than Marinette. So it is really fun to write from his perspective. Not that he isn't incredibly smart, but he takes less time to think through what he wants to say and often ends up saying something he will regret saying later (whether that is in the near or far later) We will have to see what Chloe can do for poor, lovestruck Adrien. Hope you liked this chapter! Next one on its way soon!


	4. Everything and Nothing

**Marinette**

 

The walk home was nice. She was a little confused as to why he wanted to spend so much time with her today but she couldn't complain. She always liked hanging out with Adrien. Yes sure, she had a huge crush on him but also, he was a lot of fun too talk and be with. There were worse people too have asked too walk her home.

He kept blushing when she talked and she wondered why. Could he like me? A small voice in the back of her head kept saying. But she ignored it. There was no way that after over a year of constantly being his “very good friend” that she was now his ‘wannabe girlfriend’ That's just not how it works.

Not that if he asked her to date him she would refuse. She would just be skeptical.

They talked about nothing and everything at the same time. How nice the weather was. Who was going to become president someday. What they were looking forward too this year. How her designs were going. She was really surprised at how little she stumbled over her words. Only when he complimented her did she get flush and start to stutter.

She led him into the bakery and her parents set him up with some treats that she knew he loved. Especially with his strict diet.

She surprised herself when she invited him upstairs to hang out and didn't notice the words come out of her mouth until they were already flying through the air.

He seemed glad, relieved almost, too not have too leave yet. When they get upstairs, she was so glad she had taken the hundreds of pictures of him down long ago. Between the random night visits from Chat and trying to get over her crush, she decided she really only needed pictures of him if they were from a friend or fashion standpoint. You know, the four of them at the beach, the class picture, the Gabriel ads, stuff like that.

She wasn't really sure what to do with him when they got upstairs but she did want to ask him something.

“Are you… avoiding someone?” She eagerly questioned when they were sitting down in her bright pink room.

“Umm, no... well... not really. I… my house is just really lonely and I never really get the chance to hang out with friends. And I know it is going to bite me in the butt but I really  _ didn't _ want to go home. And…”  He flushed a bright pink before going on and seeing this, so did she “And I really like spending time with you.” he added. She nearly collapsed on her arms that kept her sitting up. They seemed to turn into a jelly-like substance.

Why did he say things like that too her!? She was leaned forward to compensate for her jelly arms and bumped into him.

“Ohmygosh!” she exclaimed “I am so so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! I am so madly clumsy! I can't believe I did that! I am so sorry! Are you alright? Do you need some ice?”

“Marinette” he quietly said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Its ok! I'm fine!” Then he started to laugh. She was so upset that he was so perfect. 

“Why are you laughing?”

“I-I just” he was struggling to say anything in between spurts of laughter and gasping for breath. His gorgeous sunshine blond bangs wildly bouncing on his head and in his eyes. “We are just… I don't know… awkward… or, I don't know!… I just have so much… fun with you… Marinette… I never know… what to expect when I hang out with you and I love it!” he said calming down “I mean… uh” He said, clearly realizing what had just come out of his mouth. She guessed she had a giant ‘O’ on her face but she could care less about what she looked like right now.

He had said he loved being with her. That he had so much fun with her.  _ What!? _

When she didn't respond, he told her it was getting late and then he apologized and told her he had to get going. She saw him off but her heart nor mind were really in too the exchange they were having right then and there. But more on their exchanges throughout the day. The “awkward” ones.

Could it be that Adrien  _ had _ started to like her? That he felt just as awkward and nervous around her as she did around him? That he had as much fun being with her as she did with him? 

NO! He liked Kagami. Or, she was just a good friend, or, or? 

She was really starting to wonder what he had been in such a rush to ask her yesterday. Why he looked so defeated when she asked him for help with Luka and repeatedly friendzoned him. Why he kept blushing. Why he enjoyed hanging out with her so much. Why he didn't want to leave her. Why he called them  _ awkward _ .

 

**Chloé**

 

She was startled by the ringing phone. NO one ever called her other than Sabrina. But they were not supposed to have a study session for a while.

Contrary too many peoples beliefs, she did not take advantage of Sabrina. She did all of her own homework and only used Sabrina for help, like her tutor. They always studied for tests together and Chloé could always call her too ask a question. True, Chloé did hate doing homework, yes, but she had learned her lesson of letting Sabrina do it for her when she was utterly unprepared for several tests and got D’s in almost all of her classes. So she stuck too Sabrina being her Tutor. She was not very smart, but with Sabrina’s help she got consistent B’s and even an A every once and awhile. And that was good enough for her.

But it wasn't Sabrina. She had a special ringtone for her and it was not that generic ringtone. Her ringtone was a spunky, upbeat, happy song. It reminded Chloé of her and it made her happy too pick up her phone when Sabrina called. She always has fun with her spunky, upbeat, happy Sabrina. She missed her right now. The generic, boring ringtone did not make her want to stand up to get her phone. It did not make her want to pick up. So she let it go to voicemail. Three times. The fourth time it gave that annoying ring was the last straw.

She walked over, picked it up, jammed the green button and shouted “I don't want whatever the hell you are selling! Leave me alone!”

She was about to press the glowing red button when she heard “Chloé! Thank god! I need your help! Can you come over, like now?” her childhood friend pleaded

“What's wrong? Are you ok?” She was suddenly awake, alert, and concerned for one of her two friends. Her Queen Bee senses tingling. 

Although Hawkmoth knew her identity, after a few times of proving herself extremely valuable to Paris’s hero team and, like Rina Rouge and Carapace, Chloé got to keep her Miraculous and Pollen, her ever present, obedient and yet very sassy kwami.

“I'm fine. I just need someone to talk to, someone to listen, and someone to give advice.” He sounded very desperate and she felt bad for him

“Ok. I can be over in 20.” She responded and hung up before he even could say thanks.

She didn't live 20 minutes away. He knew that, but for all he knows, she could be somewhere else. Queen Bee can be at Adrien's house in 20 minutes though. She knew that it was not allowed to use the suit for personal gain. It was not explicitly said but it was expected. But Adrien sounded so desperate and upset and she had to get to him as soon as possible.

 

~:~

 

She got there with 2 minutes to spare. She detransformed in an alleyway a few blocks away and walked up to his house. Giving the security camera her usual sass about how it was utterly unacceptable for them to not let Adrien's oldest friend in too see him and how she desperately needed his presence and blah blah blah.

Nathalie could have cared less about Chloé being there. She was used to her showing up at random times and probably did not want to engage in conversation with Chloé. She was okay with that. She had to get to her Adrikins and while she usually enjoyed a good banter with Nathalie, she was  _ really _ not in the mood today.

She knocked and he answered her with a hug. A much welcomed hug at that. She really needed a hug right now. She wasn't really even sure why, she was just not having the best day ever. And Adrien’s hugs were always warm and heartfelt so she welcomed it.

“So, whats up?” She got straight down to the point as they sat down on his bed.

He rubbed his thighs nervously. “Adrien? What's wrong?”

“I-uh… please don't get upset. Just, listen for now. Know that I don't have anyone else to talk to and you are one of my beat friends and I need to talk to someone about this. I can't figure out what to do and I am freaking out.” 

She stayed quiet. Waiting for him to explain. She had done this a few times before. Talking while he was trying to vent usually didn't help much. So she generally let him get it all out then ask clarifying questions. This was not about her. It was about Adrien.

He took a deep, long, steadying breath and seemed like he was contemplating what to say next. “So there's this girl. And I thought I liked another girl but recently I have been feeling differently towards this girl that I would only let myself see as a friend. I can't seem to get her out of my head and I am really self conscious and awkward around her and I really want to, to, well I don't know what I want to do. But I was told that she liked me back but…” He paused and she had too take it all in. Who was she that made him so nervous? He was a supermodel for crying out loud!

“Today, after school, I was going to ask her out. But before I could, she asked me for help… help to ask someone else out. Someone I know likes her back. And I tried to figure out what to do but I feel so helpless, lost, and confused.”

“Alright.” Chloé began “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything. With names, details, and feelings.”

So he did. He told her about before. How he was in love with Ladybug (she already know he was Chat Noir, how could she not. He would often talk to her about Ladybug and get advice from her on what to do.) He told her about Lila and when he realized he liked Marinette. He told her all about why he liked Dupain-Cheng (Which she already knew. Chloé wished she could be half of what Marinette was. She was liked by everyone and cared less about what people like Chloé thought about them. She was an amazing human being and she was pretty sure that she was Ladybug. Although she had no proof, everything matched up nicely. But that was a completely different problem. Right now was about Adrien.) He told her about attempting to ask her out and about their conversation. He told her about band practice and his conversation with Luka. Those poor innocent boys. Finally, he told her about walking her home and how he burst out into laughter and couldn't contain how much he liked her. How he basically put his heart on a plate for her and she didn't respond so he just apologize and left.

When he was all done, Chloé wasn't really sure what to say. Sure, she had thought she liked Adrien a while ago. And clueless little him probably thought she still did. But she was really just lonely and had no one else in her life too like. So of course she set her mind on the only boy she really knew. 

Now, though, she did not really feel that way towards him. They definitely did have a deep bond because of their long friendship, family problems, and superhero relationships. But she was not really attracted to him anymore. 

She clarified, summing up what he had told her. Just so he knew she got it all. 

“So you like Marinette. She likes (or so you think) Luka. Luka likes Marinette but thinks she likes you. You walked her home and spilled your heart out too her in a fit of laughter. And she did not know how to respond so you just…  _ left _ !”

“Yup” was all he said, looking down at his pants but clearly looking further than that. Either deep in thought or about too cry. She wasn't sure which one it was but neither were good.

“Well, you have got yourself in quite a predicament here.” she started.

“I think you have several options and possibilities. Option number one is not doing anything. Like ever. There is a 98% chance that this will end in heartbreak and Mari will be dating Luka no matter what she really feels. And that, rather than your crush going away, it becomes bigger. Next option is letting her date Luka, wait till it's over, maybe date someone else so she can get jealous, then, when they break up, be there for her and,  _ later _ , ask her out. This could be soon or take a long time. Option numero tres is asking her telling her how much you like her, that you know she likes Luka, and that you want to go out with her. There are a few ways this could end. She could politely decline. And she will probably let you down  _ very _ gently. She will accept but not because she likes you but because she doesn't want to or know how to say no. Or, and this is the most likely, she will tell you she liked you back and you will live happily ever after. At least until you break up. I know which one I would choose. Now you pick  _ your _ poison.”

So they made a plan. They also talked about how she was doing and what his schedule was like. She was so glad to have a friend she could vent too and a friend who appreciated her advice. She was so glad to have Adrien. Who she could talk about nothing and something with. Who understood how hard it was too have a mother who left. A father who was always busy. And a boring, sheltered life away from anything she could want. A life that was frowned upon if you like the same gender. 

Ugh. She had yet to tell Adrien that little tidbit about herself. She knew he would be nothing but supportive and amazing, but she wasn't sure she was ready to tell him because telling him would mean it was so. And she was not ready to let herself accept it was so. She knew what her mother would think. What would Sabrina think? What about Marinette? What would Lila do? 

NO! She was not ready to tell people she had the same problem as Adrien. A girl too perfect for her, one that doesn't, and can never return her feelings for her. A girl that she just helped Adrien ask out.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Chloe. She is great. I think I really wanted to play with her character. Make her this girl who is really trying to get better but you can see all of the things she has got running against her. I love how she gives Adrien three options too! I really want to make her this 'very good friend' ya know? I want her to be the shoulder that Adrien often leans on. So there's my Chloe scoop. I hope you liked this chapter!


	5. Comfort In Each Other

**Adrien**

Again, he had a hard time focusing in class the next day. He was so nervous about talking to Mari. He was both relieved and annoyed by the inconvenience of an akuma that afternoon. Someone upset that their phone had broken and couldn't be fixed for a week. He hated the electronic type akumas.

They always had these weird, fancy, unbeatable powers. He was never sure how Ladybug found a way to purify the akuma.

Today it wasn't really that hard. Nothing like LadyWifi or the Evilistrator. This person didn't really seem mad, per se, but annoyed. And the akuma didn't seem to be doing much as the person didn't seem very enthusiastic.

They beat it easily, without her Lucky Charm. She had to call it out only to repair the damage it caused with her “Miraculous Ladybug!” He realized it was lunch and he had to get back to talk to Marinette. But he wasn't ready to leave her yet either.

Not that Chloé’s advice wasn't good enough for him, but he always wanted His Lady’s counseling and he took comfort in talking to her. The same way he liked to talk to Marinette, funny enough. And he guessed she would know what Mari would like, seeing as how he found many similarities between the two girls he liked. He guessed they were just _his type_.

“Chat? What's wrong?” She inquired, always able to tell when something was up.

“How do you ask a girl out that asked you for advice on asking another guy out. You are pretty sure they like you, and you really like them, but you don't want to be rejected. But what’s even worse than being rejected would be seeing them with someone other than you. So, therefore, you need to ask them out. But I don't know how.”

Ladybug was silent, probably calculating how to respond and what advice to give.

"I… I think that if she asked for your help, you need to accept that either she is over you or she wants to be. I know that is hard to hear but, she is trying to move on. I would know. I am trying to do that. I think a confession of love would confuse her and hurt her. I know that it would for me, and I know you, Chat, you would never want to hurt someone you love. I'm so sorry, but I  think that you need to wait for her or, get over her, too."

Adrian's heart broke again. How many pieces could it be torn into!? What did Ladybug know!?        Everything… she seemed so sure of her advice.

There was such a stark difference between her and Chloé. What should he do?

"So you don't think I should ask her out… or even tell her how I feel?" He was about to break down right in front of his Lady.

"I-I… " she faltered. She sounded like she, too, was about to cry. Why was that?

"I don't know… I'm really sorry Chat." He saw a tear roll down her cheek. Was this really so personal to her? Why was she so upset? Did he do something wrong?

"Hey? Are you okay Bugaboo?"

"Uh… ye-yeah… no. Not really…" he waited for her to continue. "I'm in a similar situation as you. Except I'm the girl, trying to get over the guy _s_ " the "s" at the end was almost inaudible. Had he not had his sensitive cat hearing, he wouldn't have heard it. But he did. It was what he would be constantly thinking about for the next week. Did she really say more than one guy? Or was it a trick of his mind or a slip of her mouth?

"We really are messes, huh." He told her. Too tired and heartbroken to try and put any puns in his sentences.

"Yeah, we are." She replied, leaning her head on his shoulder as they viewed all of Paris on a rooftop.

They stayed there for a while. Chat thought she had fallen asleep on him. He was about to fall asleep too when she spoke.

"What would you do if I told you I was trying to get over you?"

"I would ask you why… even though I know why." He sadly responded.

"Yeah. So do I. I wish you would pun. Then I wouldn't be so worried about you… me… us…"

He didn't know what to say. He wasn't really in the mood to make a fool of himself. Why was she worried about "us" there was no "us"

"Do you want there to be an _us_ , Ladybug?" He responded, trying not to leave an awkward silence gap. He surprised himself by calling her Ladybug not one of her nicknames.

"Sometimes… " she quietly responded. "But I want you safe more than I want an _us_. And" she continued "I want the other guys I like to be happy and be with someone they deserve rather than me."...silence..."I'm… different without the mask. I'm nothing like Ladybug without Tikki. All of you deserve better than me. With or without my mask. You three are the most amazing, kind, talented, selfless, dorky people I know. And I'm not. I thought that by trying to get over two of you, I would be making it better, but I ended up realizing it made it harder and that, you are some of the most amazing, important people in my life and I don't want to lose your friendship. I don't deserve your love. I am constantly jealous, clumsy, stalkerish, awkward, and I can't even talk to my crushes without the safety of my mask." There were THREE!? She liked THREE guys!?  "I know that I am the Ladybug chosen, but I really don't feel like I am the one who deserves this responsibility most of the time. I mean, I can rarely ever get my homework done on time! So how am I supposed to save Paris every day!?"

Then, she broke down into sobs and balled up, knees to chest.

"Oh, m'lady…" he wrapped her in a hug. Trying to process everything she just told him.

"I don't know you without the mask, but I know a brave, selfless, kind, funny, smart, confident, talented, athletic, incredible, beautiful woman, who, might I add, looks amazing in a red, spotted, skin-tight suit." He reassured. She blushed and giggled at his last sentence and he saw her light dusting of freckles. It made him grin. Yeah, he would never get over this girl.

"How did this conversation go from me to you!? I'm so sorry!" And she squeezed him tightly.

 

~:~

 

He couldn't do it. He has been so prepared but he couldn't do it. She clearly likes someone else.

Even after the plan with Chloé. The conversation with Ladybug was sticking to his brain like glue. Parts of it kept looping over and over again.  "You need to accept that either she's over you or she wants to be.     Confuse her and hurt her.     I'm the girl, trying to get over the guys.     I wouldn't be so worried about you… me… us…      All of you deserve better than me.     You three are the most amazing, kind, talented, selfless, dorky people I know.     I am constantly jealous, clumsy, stalkerish, awkward,     I don't know… I'm really sorry Chat.     You would never want to hurt someone you love.     you need to wait for her or, get over her, too."

He was so worried about His Ladybug and His Princess. He couldn't do it. What if she didn't want him. What if she told him no. What if he hurt her. What if she said yes!? What would he do then? He wasn't ready.

He really liked her, yes, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her.

The worst part was, she was ready. She was ready to move on. And he wasn't. Curse his sheltered life! Homeschooled until fourteen. What would he know about asking the girl he likes out? He is still awkward and he's sixteen, almost seventeen!!

Who was he kidding? She was too good for him too. And Luka was a good guy. He was going to take good care of her. Adrien would support her no matter what. Let her know he was there for her. She would do that for him… she _had_ done that for him. She was too amazing.

 

~:~

 

"Hey, Marinette! I know that I have been a pain the past couple of days, but I want you to know that I am here for you and am going to help and support you with this… Maybe you can take Luka to the Eiffel Tower. I always find it a very romantic place."

She blushed "Wow! First of all, you are never a pain… I love hanging out with you! Second, thank you for being such an amazing friend! And third, that sounds like an amazing idea! I love the Eiffel Tower too! thank you for reminding me of that!" She finished excitedly. He was so dead. He just ignored all of the advice he had gotten over the past couple of days. And now he was helping his crush ask his friend out. And he knew Luka would say yes.

But Adrien needed the time to think. He definitely was not ready for a relationship. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure about that. Maybe he would get lucky and they would only last a little while. He could figure things out, be there for her, and swoop in and ask her out. Or, maybe he would get over her while she was dating Luka… maybe. And there was still that fact that Ladybug wanted an _us_.

Plagg was not helping. He was constantly telling Adrien to shut up and stop talking to him about his lady problems. All he wanted was cheese. _'Camembert this, camembert that, feed me now, shut up, I bet pigtails has good, quality cheese'_ He knew anything about Marinette did not help. He was really trying to get his mind off of her. But Plagg seemed to have different plans and brought her up quite often. He couldn't stand it anymore. Chat Noir was going to visit his princess tonight.

 

~:~

 

**Marinette**

Since the night Chat came to her balcony telling her about being in love with Ladybug, he came to visit her often. It wasn't regular but often enough that she wasn't surprised when she heard the thump on her roof.

Since he had started visiting her, the Adrien pictures had disappeared and the schedule of his had been changed to one of her own.

The words Alya said to her over and over before she had done so had sunk in "Gurl! This is unhealthy! You are obsessed and stalkerish. There is going to be someone that comes over on a whim and you are not going to want them seeing this. Why do you need all of these pictures and gifts anyways!?" Her friend was so worried about her and it was sweet.

But it really wasn't her words that changed her. It was the _'someone that comes over on a whim and her not wanting them to see it'_. It was Chat. Especially since he had confessed to being in love with her alter ego.

And, of course, she realized that she had feelings for him once he confessed.

Ugh. Boys were so confusing. Curse her feelings.

"Its okay Marinette! You can like more than one boy at the same time. It just means you see something amazing in them all." Tikki, like the older sister she never had, reassured her. She was so glad to have Tikki. She was positive her life would be a wreck without her. She probably would have imploded.

When he showed up, Chat came to her, not for advice, usually, but rather for a place to calm down or have fun. He talked to her a lot but it wasn't really for help. Just for him. Sometimes he ranted too her. And other times, she ranted to him. They discussed things happening in Paris and gossiped about the largest people in the world. They would play video games and have leftover snacks from the bakery. Often, he came and just sat quietly and observed, giving the occasional comment or suggestion while she worked on a fashion project. He was really helpful and seemed to know the business really well. She found his visits comforting. The fact that he liked to hang out with her outside of the mask always cheered her up. His shameless flirting got to her when she was in her civilian form too.

Tonight though, he was different. He didn't flirt with her at all. Just came in and collapsed on her chair. Tucked his knees into his chest, and looked at her mannequin, expectantly. Probably waiting for her to start working.

But she was having none of this pouty, mopey cat. 

"Alright, spit it out." She said after a few minutes of silence.

"Nah. Thanks, purr-incess, but I'd rather just watch you work tonight. I'm in a claw-full mood and watching you helps me relax. No, I don't want to talk about it." He added, making her stop before she could start.

It was good to see that he was back to his punning self, at least, she guessed. She knew what was wrong from their conversation earlier. But _Marinette_ wasn't supposed to know, so she had to keep her mouth shut. She wanted to know if he had done it, or if what Ladybug had said meant anything to him.

She wanted to know what she had said. If she really did like him back. She wanted to know who he was and who he liked. Marinette wanted to be his girlfriend so he didn't have to ask for advice on another girl. To make his pain melt away, to be over him, to not have to date Luka to stop liking him and Adrien.

She wanted this crazy whirlwind of emotions to be over. She hated how Chat, Adrien, and Luka could turn her insides upside down with just one glance, one word, one smile, one laugh. 

So, because she could think of nothing else to do at the moment, she put herself to work with a black cat watching her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter and then deleted almost the entire thing because I didn't like where it was going and couldn't figure out how to continue it. SO... this chapter is totally different than I had originally set it up to be, but I like how it turned out. I love Tikki, my girl, always the wise little bean trying to cheer Marinette up!  
> I know it took a bit of a U-turn, but I really want to play with Luka dating Marinette so sorry if there are any Luka haters out there, but I really like him and I think he would be awesome with Mari and dont worry, everything will end up good and right with the world. :P


	6. Stuck *Authors Note*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help!

Hey y'all! So I have been really busy and having trouble finding time to write let alone coming up with stuff to write about... I was wondering what you all thought of the fanfic? Do you like it so far? Is it worth continuing? Any suggestions? I am really stuck and wondering if it is really worth continuing writing since I can't really come up with any content I like. So please send me your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and advice in the comments...   
Thanks


	7. Want, Need, Alone

Marinette

“I got in! I can't believe it! This is amazing!”

Marinette had been hanging out with Luka and Juleka when Ms. Couffaine ran excitedly, wildly in with a letter waving in hand.  
Luka had earned a scholarship to a music and performing arts university in Vienna. It was almost impossible to believe he would be gone next year.

He had been looking forward to getting into an arts school for like ever. She too wanted to get into an arts school but she had to stay near Paris to be ladybug so her options were pretty restricted. Besides, she still had time to think about exactly what she wanted to do with her life. Lots of her friends had already figured out what they wanted to do but other than the fact that she loved designing, she had not. But now was for Luka and his amazing accomplishment, not her problems.

“That's amazing Luka! I knew you would get in!” He gave her a giant hug and she was positive she became a tomato. She could hear Juleka snicker behind her. (Which was a rare occurrence because Julika was so sweet and quiet. When she snickered, you know you were funny.)

“Thank you so much for all of your support over these last couple of years Mari!” Luka was the only one that called her that. The only one she allowed to call her that. She never really liked that nickname, but the way it sounded coming from him was like, well, music. She loved how melodic, smooth, and sweet it was. And, that he felt close enough to give her a nickname.

“Yeah, well you did all of it on your own. You're incredible! I should get going though. You have to celebrate!”

“Are you sure Marinette? You can stay, I’d love to celebrate with you.”

“O-oh, no really, I have too, uh, go help at the bakery and I don't want to get in the way of your family time. Really, I should get going. Thank you for having me though.” She had to go before she embarrassed herself more. Before she couldn't hold her emotions back anymore.

So she walked home.

She had always known that Luka was going to go away. And that he was going to go away before she did. Before she was ready for him too. But she wasn't ready for him to leave now. Granted she still had a few months with him. But then he would be gone.

She had to keep her head down for the rest of the walk and was glad her parents were busy with customers when she got home.

~:~

“I am BookBinder and I will get your Miraculouses!”

A new Akuma had shown up. She was dressed in a long dress all the color similar to parchment. She had small passages and graphics all over the skirt of the dress. It was a very interesting design and it complimented the victim's dark skin very well. In her right hand, she held a book that, when a page was turned, shot a blast of purple light at a target. Then the object disappeared. Into the book Marinette supposed but, unlike other Akumas, the book did not seem to fill up and there seemed no limit to the amount of blasts BookBinder could send out.

“That's im _paw_ ssible! I'm very _purr_ tective of our miraculouses.”

Marinette was not doing well today. Seeing Chat back to his cunning, funny self again was reassuring but he was still upset. She could tell. Like she always could. The night he had visited her he had fallen asleep in his chair and she had to cover him in a blanket head to toe so he could safely detransform and keep sleeping. Of course, when she woke up he was gone. As he usually was.

There was also Luka. Him leaving her. Of course, he didn't know how much she needed him. Or, wanted him. Marinette wasn't sure what the difference between some of her needs and wants were these days.

“Ladybug focus!” Chat yelled as he rammed into her, saving her from a blast that came out of the book the Akuma was holding.

They rolled to the side and he got up.

“I can't do it…” she whispered.

She wasn't sure what she couldn't do. Focus on the fight, get over Adrien, Chat, and Luka, say goodbye, stand up for herself, be a friend, be Ladybug, be Marinette. It was too much.

“Hey, look at me” Chat lifted her chin up with a sad smile “You are - Lookout!” He turned her around and hugged her.

“No!” Ladybug screeched as Chat got hit with a blinding purple light and was gone.

She ran. As fast as she could. Swung through Paris to get away from anywhere. He was gone. They all were. She was alone. She was _alone_.

She collapsed in an alley. The walls were caving in all around her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't do it. She was alone. She wanted too scream. She wanted silence. She wanted to give in. Needed to give up. Alone alone _alone_.

She knew she was sobbing. She knew her transformation had worn off but she didn't hear anything Tikki was saying. She could feel the soft kwami wiping her tears off her face but they kept coming.

She failed. Her partner was gone, Luka was leaving, all her friends trusted a liar, she and Adrien were... weird…

No. She still had her family. She still had Tikki, still had Master Fu, still had Luka, Adrien, Alya, she always had help when she had needed it. And she needed it.

Marinette knew she had to get another miraculous. Shaking and weak she stood up and made her way out of the alley. She couldn't find the strength to run or pay particular attention to her surroundings. She could see his shop though. She was almost there. Almost to warmth, comfort, help, love, acceptance.     

Then it all disappeared with a blazing purple blur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry... It took me forever to come up with this and to come up with something I like... Im still not really sure about it but... 
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the comments and support! I hope everyone likes this! Sorry again its short and took forever... (also I didn't really put much thought or creativity into the title so)


	8. Distractions

**Adrien** :

 

His head felt like it was going to explode. He felt like he was being pulled into the shape of spaghetti. He knew it could be worse since he had Plagg to shield him from most of the pain but boy was it painful.  

Then suddenly it stopped. And he was falling. Until, that was, he hit the ground with an “oof”.   

He had no idea where he was. But that he certainly wasn't in Paris. Shit he had to get back to Ladybug. 

He knew he was expendable, knew she could solve the problem without him. Adrien always put himself in front of danger for her because it was ok for him to be gone. But with Ladybug out of the picture, there was no way to fix Paris’s problems.  

But something was very off about her today. Sure, he knew she had bad days, they all did. No, today was different. She was not even remotely close to her usual self. He had too find a way out of wherever the hell he was. But it just looked like a black and beige void.

The black seemed to be in some type of formation almost, no not almost, exactly like words.

He was in a book. But it was really funny… all of the letters with what should have a hole in them like O, P, D, etc. were filled with a building. A round building like… what exactly? He couldn't really describe it as anything but like a hobbit hole maybe? 

And there were people too, all milling around the items magically showing up out of nowhere. The things Adrien assumed were Paris being blasted by BookBinder. 

The people were just as beige as the surroundings. Like the color of an old book page he thought to himself. 

So, rather than going to the people who looked like they belonged, he seeked out the people in colorful clothes. The unlucky Parisians who had gotten stuck in the crossfire of BookBinder’s blasts. He set out reassuring them that they were safe and they were going to get back home. Most of them were in a lot of pain from the mind exploding spaghetti trip. He decided to corral them so as to find as many as possible. He did not want anyone too be alone.

The only thing was, he didn't know how long the novel expanse went on. For all he knew, Ladybug could have been blasted in and he would never find her.

The only upside was that BookBinder, of Bookie he had decided (it was much shorter and easier) had not come in to take his miraculous. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone and heard a loud gasp.

 

**Marinette** :

 

The purple was so painful. She didn't know how long she had been falling. Just that she had blacked out. She wished she had been transformed. She woke up and just layed wherever she was. Again, she didn't know how long she stayed there. But when she finally decided to open her eyes she gasped in surprise. 

It looked like BookBinders dress. Parchment colored sky and ground with words everywhere. She could see nothing but unreadable words, beige, and the occasional purple flash with a streetlamp or a food cart appearing. 

She supposed it could be worse, she had food and could use the c’s as a sort of shelter. She wasn't in a page break or a new chapter… 

She immediately went to her side too check for her purse only too find it bare. No purse, no Tikki, no Ladybug.

Now she was really alone. 

Fully, completely, royally, desperately, _alone_.

She collapsed on the first familiar thing. André’s Ice Cream cart. For the third time, she wasn't sure how long she had been there when something snapped in her.

She was Ladybug. 

There was no point in doing nothing. She had to fix this. The stupid cat had sacrificed himself so she could fix this. Paris depended on her too fix this. She had a family and friends to get back too. She was going to fix this. With or without the suit. 

She stood up, grabbed a hot dog from a nearby cart, and marched in the first direction she turned to.   

 

~:~

 

Ugh! Walking was exhausting. Especially when you had no one to talk to and you had gone through all of the songs you knew the lyrics too, come up with three new dress designs, and wanted another hot dog.

Marinette had done all of those things. Now she was just trying to stay awake. Why she was walking she really had no idea. She knew from movies that walking through a desert was practically scuicide so why the hell did she think an expanse of book would be any different? She couldn't tell you. 

What was funny was that she thought she could see a skyscraper.

A part of her knew she had started to hallucinate. How many desert movies had she seen with hallucinations? All of them.

But another part of her wanted too think that the skyscraper was real. She knew that BookBinder was blasting pretty much everything and everyone into her book so the skyscraper could very well be from Paris.

It looked just like the Tour Montparnasse. She slightly changed her direction to head towards her hallucination.

 

~:~

 

As Marinette got closer she started seeing these almost houses built in the holes of the letters. It was so cool. Her imagination was really going wild today. She started wondering what she would dream about tonight… wait, when was “tonight”?  What if it was like two in the morning? 

Then her imagination went really crazy. There were a whole bunch of parchment people… They were all book colored. Then, and this was even crazier, there were around a dozen Parisians. People she knows. Nadja Chamack, Nora Cesaire, the blonde girl she sees all over town, people like that. 

But she couldn't get distracted. Even when Nora called her name. Wouldn't let herself give in to what she wanted so desperately to believe. Even when she bumped into someone. She almost got distracted by him. Almost let herself give in to not being alone. But she wouldn't let herself. Even if it was her kitty.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh! Poor Mari! I was really trying to be creative here but... I wasn't really successful. Oh well. I had fun and Really like this chapter so... ya. Hope y'all like it too!
> 
> Also, apparently I can't seem to decide on what kind of formatting I want to use... sometimes I double space my chapters and sometimes I don't... sometimes I underline the pov and sometimes I don't... I don't even know at this point so sorry if the chapters all look different... you get the point. :P


	9. Ending Up Together

**Tikki :**

 

She had to get to Master Fu’s. She could feel herself fading. This was the problem with different dimensions. Kwamis couldn't be in a dimension they weren't from unless they were in the miraculous. But if their miraculous was in another dimension, they would fade away into nothing. Until their miraculous was back in the correct dimension. 

Plagg had been lucky. He wouldn't be separated from Adrien because he had been taken to BookBinders book dimension.

She could tell Wayzz and Pollen had already faded. That was bad news. That ment Nino and Chloé were in with Marinette and Adrien. But knowing the Akumas, they probably were not together.

She was almost gone. She barely phased through the wall as she issued a few hushed, rushed warnings to the old man before she was gone.

 

**Marinette :**

 

He called her name. She kept walking. He ran after her. She kept walking. She had to keep going. Find a way out. Get home. She had to get to Tikki and Adrien. Had to save Chat, had to hang out with Alya. She had to see her family, say goodbye to Luka. She had too keep going. He seemed too keep going. 

Why did her cruel ind come up with these things. She didn't know. She kept going. She was pretty sure she started running. That was until her legs couldn't hold her up anymore. Her eyes couldn't stay open anymore. Her head couldn't stay upright anymore.

Then she felt a strong pair of arms pick her up. Cool water in her mouth. Maybe a green flash. 

She remembered sleeping. It was so nice to sleep. Then it was really bright and cold. And she really had to pee. But she didn't want to get up. She needed five more minutes. But the need to pee was very overwhelming. 

When she opened her eyes, she found a disheveled, upset, asleep Chat at the foot of the mattress she was laying on. He was really quite cute and she giggled to herself. He flinched and woke up immediately.

“I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to wake you up! I was just going to find the restroom”

“Your awake! Oh thank god you're awake! I was so worried!” He looked like a hundred pounds had been lifted from his shoulders. She was glad that he had been worried about her. She was glad he was here  _ with _ her. Glad he wasn't in her imagination… Well, she really had no way of making sure that was true but she would indulge in her dreams for now.

After he showed her the restroom and she was back in the room she had been sleeping in, Marinette dared to ask where they were.

“I'm not really sure. I know that we are in the akuma BookBinder’s book. She sent us here with her purple blast. But I have no sense of time or how big her book expanse is. When I got here there were a whole bunch of people and things from Paris that showed up. I tried too round up everyone that I could too keep us all together.”

He paused, as if considering his next words carefully. That was something Chat Noir did very rarely. 

“Then you bumped into me. But you didn't look good. And I could tell you had not been in the same area I had been… teleported into. And you walked away from me. Even when I called your name you kept walking. And when I caught up to you, you started running. Away from me. Then, you collapsed. I carried you back and the people here opened their homes, little hobbit holes, to us. You were really dehydrated and you have been sleeping for a really long time. Princess, why did you run away from me?” 

He looked at her with desperate, pleading, tear glazed eyes that made her want to cry too.

“Chaton, oh, I'm so so sorry! I...I thought I was hallucinating. I had been walking for so long with nothing around me but book pages and black words. Then I suddenly see the T our Montparnasse, houses in letters, parchment people and people from Paris I know, and then you” she explained with a soft voice and a slight incline in to her head. Hoping to soothe him.

Suddenly he was at her side and wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Nuzzling himself into the crook of her shoulder. “Don't scare me like that again, ok Princess?”

“Ok kitty” was all she said. They stayed like that for a while and when he pulled away, she did so to, begrudgingly. 

 

**Nino :**

 

The bee had stung. Why did she always have to be so rude. She acted like she owned everything and anyone. 

“Really  Chloé? I think that just because your Queen Bee doesn't mean you can tell me what to do. Were both stuck here dude and you don't have any authority over me.”

“You are utterly ridiculous. I save your life on like a weekly basis. You could stand to be a bit more appreciative”

“Can we just focus on getting out. Please?” 

They were surrounded by black and were back to back in such a small space that his legs were cramping up. Of course when he got hit by that painful light he had to get stuck with Chloé. Not that he didn't like her. There were very few people he did not like. Chloé did her best. She could better but she was pretty selfless and the girl was a pretty good friend to his dude Adrien.

Below them, Nino could see what looked like a small village built into holes. It was really weird. He couldn't really see that far either, but the tiny village looked better than being stuck without being able to move. He had tried to call to Wayzz (and he figured Chloé had tried to call to Pollen) but the kwami’s did not seem to be with them.

The more he thought about it, he remembered Master Fu saying something about kwamis not being able to enter dimensions they weren't from. So he supposed they were in another dimension. That was pretty wicked cool. Other than the fact that his legs now had pins and needles.

Of course, he couldn't tell Chloé any of this, she did not know he was Carapace and he intended to keep it that way. Even if he did know her and Alya’s identity.

They had tried calling down to the people below them and Chloé had even tried screaming, much to his extreme displeasure. But no one could hear them. They were too high up.

“Alright, here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna get really close to my legs and your gonna try to straighten yours out until you can swing them around to the side. Ok Nino? Your head is really messing up my hair so try to make it quick.”

He had to admit. The dudette had a pretty good plan. They could see something that looked like black ledges below them so it would be pretty easy to climb down them, hopefully all the way to the ground. And he had no doubts that she would be flexible enough to fold up like that. The girl had skills. She wasn't as quick as Ladybug, but the few times he had fought with her, she had been really good at plans. Chloé was smart. He wished she would show it in class.

“If you think you can do it dude, then I’m all for it.”

“Of course I can do it you numbskull, why would I have suggested it if I couldn't. We just need to go slow so I can stretch out my legs.”

This was the same girl that had just told him to hurry up… it was going to be a long day. But he figured it could be worse.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh. I feel like once I start something and have ideas, it is really easy to keep going. the past three chapters have come out in like a week! it's just when I get stuck, I have trouble writing something I like.   
> I really like this chapter though. Im hoping that because they are stuck together, Chloe will act like she is with Adrien with Nino. And Mari and Chat are together! My all time favorite ship!! Hopefully a new chapter coming soon!


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